Do You Know the Difference Between Up-Selling & Cross-Selling?

There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance

– Socrates

In the world of sales it is important to understand the difference between cross-selling and up-selling. How familiar are you with these terms or their differences? We’ve made a simple little guide to help you better grasp what these terms mean.

Cross-Selling = Complementing Products

A complementary product or service is one that, as its name states, compliments another product. So like how you may need fertilizer when you buy new seeds for your garden, there are often an array of complementary products that a company can offer to enhance the customer’s experience. Cross-selling, therefore, is offering a customer other products or services that could go along with the main product they are buying.

Up-selling = Upgrading Products

Up-selling, by comparison, is offering your customer an upgrade on the product they are already interested in buying. So if a customer is purchasing a stove, you could offer them another stove but of comparably better quality. This also means offering, and trying to sell, a more expensive product. Another reason it is called ‘up’-selling; it’s an upgrade on the price, but hopefully also on the quality or usefulness of the product as well.

If you keep in mind ‘Up’ for upgrade and ‘Cross’ for other products it can be a little easier to keep them straight in the future. The last thing you want is to be face-to-face with a client and present to them the wrong product or wrong context. Savvy customers will see it clearly as a sign of lacking experience or professionalism.

Read more Sales Training insights.

___________

Trushar Mody is BUSINESS STRATEGIST, SOFT SKILLS TRAINER, OUTSIDE-THE-BOX THINKER AND THOUGHT PROVOKER. He is a Warehouse of knowledge and wants to share it. His passion lies in teaching  Wholestic Learning and Emotional Intelligence.

Trushar Mody is a role model who has extended himself to help others along their own journeys. He works from his passion of helping people live their lives with purpose and without fear. He is a managing partner and senior trainer at Encore Consulting Group.